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Lynn St James Sets New Woman's Speed Record - October 11, 1987

October 11, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 11, 1987
Lynn St. James sets a new women's national closed-course speed record of 212.577 mph at Talladega Super Speedway, driving a Ford Thunderbird.
Lynn is a retired Indy Car driver with 11 CART and 5 Indy Racing League starts to her name. She is one of seven women who have qualified for the Indianapolis 500, and became the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 "Rookie of the Year" award. She also has two victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and 1 win at the 12 Hours of Sebring. She has competed in endurance racing in Europe, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, where in 1979 her team placed first and second in class. She founded the 501 Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation in 1994 and is a motivational speaker.
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Canadian Auto Racing Legend Wallie Branston Born - October 11, 1923

October 11, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 11, 1923 - November 7, 2013
Wallie Branston
(Photo; legacy.com)
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Branston had many achievements including being a founding member of the Toronto Stock Car Racing Club and being inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. In the late 1940s and 1950s Wallie became a popular figure and consistent winner on local Stock Car Racing Tracks. He was one of the first stock car racers in Canada to have major sponsorship, driving a series of Gorries and Bardahl sponsored stock cars. He raced on both dirt, pavement, road courses and ovals. He raced sports cars and was a rally driver.

A fan favourite at Pinecrest and the CNE Speedway, the Star once announced in a headline, “Branston is matinee idol of CNE stock car addicts.” After winning his fifth race early in the 1953 season, the Star’s Jim Proudfoot recounted how it took 20 minutes for the victorious driver to extricate himself from the winner’s circle, as he signed autographs, shook hands, and accepted congratulations.

He was also the “human battering ram” on the daredevil “Canadian Aces” team that went up against the Ward Beam Hell Drivers when that barnstorming troupe made its annual stop at the “Ex” in August.

In 1954, he raced in a Nascar Cup Series event at the Monroe County Fairgrounds at Rochester, N.Y., his contest ending on lap 52 of 200 when he crashed his ’53 Oldsmobile. The race was won by the legendary Lee Petty.

When his racing days ended, he spent fifteen years as the Starter at Mosport. From 1961 until 1975, during the glory years when sports cars, the Can-Am, the Trans-Am, Formula One, U.S. Auto Club stock cars and just about everything else you can think of raced there, Branston was front-and-centre, waving the green flag to start races and the checkered flag to signal the end of competition.

It was hard to miss him. Attired in black dress pants, white shirt, yellow bow tie and red sports jacket, he pretty much stood out. And his high leaps while waving the checkers are the stuff of legend, including this legendary photo from 1967 as he gave the checkered flag and the Grand Prix win to Sir Jack Brabham in a downpour on the winding course at Bowmanville, Ont..
(Photo; historiasdelmotor.com)
Branston once said the F1 races gave him his biggest thrills. “Jackie Stewart used to call me by my first name, ” he said. “It can’t get any better than that.”

Throughout his life an all-’round booster of the sport, Branston was a longtime director of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, and in 1997 was inducted himself. On November 7, 2013, Wallie Branston, passed away at age 90.

For more on Wallie Branston see Norris MacDonald's column in Wheels.ca

(Photo; wheels.ca)
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Jimmy Hensley Born In Ridgeway, Virginia, USA - October 11, 1945

October 11, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 11, 1945
Jimmy Hensley
Born in Ridgeway, Virginia, USA.
With a career spanning 27 seasons in all three of NASCAR's elite divisions, Hensley may be best remembered for his Rookie of the Year award won in 1992, his 15th season in the series, and for his nine career Busch Series wins. He spent most of his career working as an oil truck driver in addition to racing. He was best known as being a substitute driver for many teams. He was also the 1985 & 1987 Busch Series Most Popular Driver and the 1996 Craftsman Truck Series Most Popular Driver.
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"The Wollongong Whiz" Wayne Gardner Born In Australia - October 11, 1959

October 11, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 11, 1959
Wayne Gardner
Born in Wollongong, Australia.
Gardner is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and touring car racer. His most notable achievement was winning the 1987 500 cc Motorcycle World Championship, becoming the first Australian to win motorcycling's premier class. His success on the world motorcycle racing circuit earned him the nickname The Wollongong Whiz.

Gardner made a one-off appearance at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gardner was entered in the Riley & Scott with Philippe Gache and fellow ex-motorcycle rider Didier de Radiguès. They qualified 26th, but failed to finish due to engine problems after completing 155 laps.

Following his victory in the 1987 500 cc World Championship, Gardner was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1988's Honours List. The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme honored him as a MotoGP Legend. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1991. He received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000.
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Ned Jarrett Born In Conover, North Carolina, USA - October 12, 1932

October 12, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 12, 1932
Ned Jarrett
(photo credit: Ted Van Pelt via photopin cc)
Born in Conover, North Carolina, USA.
The Jarrett family is known as one of the first families in NASCAR history. Ned is the father of Dale Jarrett, who earned his first NASCAR championship in 1999 and currently is a race broadcaster for ABC/ESPN. Ned and Dale became the second father-son combination to win Cup championships (after Lee Petty and Richard Petty). Ned has spotted for Dale in the past. Ned's other son is Glenn Jarrett, who was a regular Busch Series driver and had a few Winston Cup starts in the 1980s. Glenn now covers cable television as a race broadcaster. Ned also has a daughter Patti, who before becoming a mom, also worked in racing. Patti is married to Jimmy Makar, who worked with Dale Jarrett for three years at Joe Gibbs Racing, and won the 2000 championship crew chief with Bobby Labonte. Dale's son Jason Jarrett also had numerous Busch and a few NEXTEL Cup starts, with several wins in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.

Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett", yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR Grand National stock car. Jarrett was introduced to cars early in life: his father let him drive the family car to church on Sunday mornings when he was nine years old. Ned started working for his father in the sawmill by the time he was 12, but racing was what he wanted.

Ned drove in his first race in 1952 at Hickory Motor Speedway. He drove a Sportsman Ford that he co-owned with his brother-in-law, and finished tenth. This did not go over well with his father. His father told him he could work on cars but not drive them. Once, his brother-in-law was sick for a race and asked Ned to fill in for him. Ned used his brother-in-law's name and came in second in that race. That worked out so smoothly that Ned drove in a few more races under an assumed name, but was finally caught by his father after winning a race. His father told him if he was going to drive to at least use his own name.

Jarrett raced in his first national race at the 1953 Southern 500 at Darlington Speedway. He was out after 10 laps after the engine leaked oil. Jarrett was the 1955 track champion at Hickory Motor Speedway. Jarrett came in second driving in the Sportsman series in 1956, and won the 1957 and 1958 championships.

In 1959, he was looking to pursue a career in the Grand National series. He purchased a Junior Johnson Ford for $2,000. He did not have enough money to cover the check, so he waited until the bank closed to write the check, entered two races, and won them both to cover the cost of his car. In 1960, he won five races and took the championship over Rex White in 1961. He was among the top five drivers in 22 races and missed being among the top ten drivers only 12 times out of 46 races, with one win.

In 1964, Jarrett joined team owner Bondy Long and with the support of Ford won 15 times but lost the championship to Richard Petty. Jarrett picked up his first superspeedway win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In 1965, Jarrett became a super star when he won 13 races and another Grand National championship. He placed among the top five in 42 of the 54 races that he ran. The 1965 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was one of the wildest races in NASCAR history. Rookie driver Buren Skeen died after two cars ran into the side of his car in the early laps. Sam McQuagg was leading the race, when Cale Yarborough tried to muscle past McQuagg for the lead. Yarborough flew over the guardrail, rolled around six times, and ended up at the end of the parking lot by a light post. Yarborough waved to the crowd as he walked back to the pits. A video clip of the wreck was used on ABC's Wide World of Sports for several years. With 44 laps left, Fred Lorenzen and Darel Dieringer were fighting for the lead far ahead of Jarrett. Lorenzen's motor expired, and even before he could get into the pits Dieringer's motor started smoking too. Dieringer continued at a slower pace to finish third. The race was won by Ned Jarrett by 14 laps and 2 car lengths, which is the farthest margin of victory in NASCAR history.

In 1966, Jarrett was in the run for another championship when Ford announced that they were withdrawing from NASCAR. With that, Jarrett decided that it was time to retire at the young age of 34. Jarrett is the only driver to retire as the NASCAR champion. Jarrett left racing and dealt in real estate and other business ventures before coming back to racing as a broadcaster. He also was the track promoter for Hickory Motor Speedway.

In the early 1960s, Ned began a radio program on WNNC in Newton, North Carolina. His taped show was replayed and locally sponsored, in part by station owner Earl Holder, who gave Ned both a taping facility and recording studio time for a moderate rate to fill in local programming. It is believed by some that this radio station, WNNC, where Dr. Jerry Punch also began his career on the local high school radio station staff in 1965, was probably the beginning of the radio career of Ned Jarrett. Jarrett would sometimes record more than one radio show at a time in order to facilitate the distance required to compete in what was then the "Grand National" circuit of NASCAR.

Later, in 1978, Jarrett became a radio broadcaster on MRN Radio. He interviewed United States President Ronald Reagan live at the 1984 Firecracker 400 at Daytona, the race famous as Richard Petty's 200th win. Ned also hosted a daily radio program about racing on MRN Radio called "Ned Jarrett's World of Racing" until May 15, 2009, when he announced he would retire from the program. Joe Moore became the show's new host the following Monday, May 18.

Jarrett also has been a television broadcaster on CBS, and ESPN, as well as a host for the original Inside NASCAR on TNN and NASCAR Tech on FSN. He called several of NASCAR's more memorable television moments. Ned called his son Dale's first victory in the 1991 Champion Spark Plug 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. Dale banged Davey Allison's fender at the finish line in what was then the closest finish in NASCAR history. Another famous moment was when he called Dale's victory at the 1993 Daytona 500, openly siding with his son on the last lap and coaching him home to victory over Dale Earnhardt. Embarrassed by his loss of objectivity, he tried to apologize to Earnhardt after the race, but Earnhardt merely smiled and said, "I'm a father, too."

On May 26, 2007 Ned returned to the booth to call the Carquest Auto Parts 300 Busch race alongside Andy Petree, Jerry Punch, and his son Dale.

Achievements;
1961 Grand National Champion
1965 Grand National Champion
1957 Sportsman Division Champion
1958 Sportsman Division Champion
1965 Southern 500 Winner
Led Grand National Series in wins two times (1964, 1965)

Awards;
Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Myers Brothers Memorial Award (1964, 1965, 1982, 1983)
National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1972)
North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1990)
International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1991)
Oceanside Rotary Club Stock Car Hall of Fame (1992)
National Auto Racing Hall of Fame (United States) (1992)
American Auto Race Writers & Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame (1992)
Jacksonville, Florida Speedway Hall of Fame (1993)
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1997)
Talladega Walk of Fame (1997)
Hickory Metro Sports Hall of Fame (2001)
NASCAR Hall of Fame (2011)


To Buy This Item
Fact-filled and brimming with dynamic full-color photographs and other fun features, "The Jarretts" is a fast-paced yet in-depth look at the accomplishments of the legendary NASCAR clan who make the sport a true family affair.
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"West Coast Stock Car Hall of Famer" Lou Figaro Born - October 12, 1920

October 12, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 12, 1920 - October 25, 1954
Louis Figaro
Home: South Gate, California, USA.
Figaro competed in 16 NASCAR Cup Series races from 1951 to 1954, picking up one victory in the 1951 event at Carrell Speedway in Gardena, California. During the early years of late model stock car racing on the west coast, no name was more well known than that of Lou Figaro.

Figaro started his racing career in the early 1930’s and drove everything he could get his hands on. He liked stock cars, and by the end of WWII had decided to direct most of his energy to that type of racing. He was always a Hudson man and when the Hudson Hornet came out in 1951, Lou was there driving one of Jimmy Dane’s cars. He ran the Mexican Road Race with a Hudson and nearly lost his life in that effort. Lou raced with AAA, NASCAR, IMCA and WAR and won many races. He was especially fast on the high bands of Oakland, and the ½ mile dirt at Carrell Speedway.

He won the 1953 WAR Championship for Late Models and in 1954 had decided to concentrate on running NASCAR Grand National events in the south. He was killed in an accident during the 1954 Wilkes 160 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on October 24, 1954, when his vehicle smashed through the guardrail and overturned with three laps left. He died in the hospital the following day.

In 2002, Figaro was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. His granddaughter, Tracy Figaro-Davis, accepted.
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Mark Dismore Born In Greenfield, Indiana, USA - October 12, 1956

October 12, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 12, 1956
Mark Dismore
Born in Greenfield, Indiana, USA.
Mark is a former driver in the Indy Racing League and the 1990 Toyota Pacific champion as well as the winner of the 1993 24 Hours of Daytona with Dan Gurney's All American Racers in a Toyota GTP car with co-drivers Rocky Moran and P. J. Jones.

He made 3 CART starts in 1991 but was badly injured in a practice crash for the Indianapolis 500, when his car veered sharply towards the entrance of pit road at the exit of Turn 4 and back-ended the fence, only to careen across the pit lane and smash virtually head on at sizeable speed against the edge of pit wall, virtually ripping the car in two pieces. Among the injuries he suffered, the most severe was a broken neck.
(Photo; grabpage.info)
He was largely out of open wheel racing until the 1996 Indy 500 where he drove for Team Menard though he did try to qualify in the 1992 Indianapolis 500 for Concept Motorsports in an outdated Lola/Buick. In 1997 he drove a second car at the Indy 500 for Kelley Racing and would become a full-time fixture there until the 2001 season. He returned to Menard for a partial season in 2002. Dismore has a single IRL win coming in the fall 1999 Texas Motor Speedway race and also finished a career-best third in points that season. Among his 62 career IRL starts he won four poles. He also represented the IRL in the International Race of Champions in 2000 and 2001.

He is married with two children. He now owns and operates New Castle Motorsports Park, a Karting facility in New Castle, Indiana, as well as Comet Kart Sales in Greenfield, Indiana. 
New Castle Motorsports Park is the home of Indiana karting's signature event, the Dan Wheldon Cup weekend races, held after the INDYCAR season ends. The Wheldon Cup weekend consists of a Pro-Am race with INDYCAR stars on Saturday and a 200-mile, 200-lap endurance karting event Sunday, the Robopong 200 Dan Wheldon Cup.
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Bill Auberlen Born In Redondo Beach, California, USA - October 12, 1968

October 12, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 12, 1968
Bill Auberlen
Born in Redondo Beach, California, USA.
Auberlen is an American factory race car driver known for his affiliation with BMW, driving cars made and run by the famous German marque for a number of years. His career started in the 1970s in motocross, with Auberlen moving to IMSA GTU in 1987. He stayed there until 1997, his last year resulting in him winning the championship. During his time in the IMSA Series he had also become the 1996 Peruvian Formula Three champion. Other competitions Auberlen has competed in during his career include the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series (1999-2003), driving a BMW V12 LMR in 1999 and 2000 for Schnitzer Motorsport. During the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in 2000, his BMW did a spectacular back flip over the same hump over which Yannick Dalmas backflipped in a Porsche 911 GT1 in 1998.

Auberlen briefly stepped up to Grand-Am's Daytona Prototype class in 2003, in addition to driving a BMW 325i for Turner Motorsport in World Challenge touring. Auberlen won both the 2003 and 2004 Speed World Challenge Touring Car Championship behind the wheel of a Turner Motorsport BMW 325i. By doing so, Auberlen ended an eight-year Honda / Acura domination of the series.

For 2004, Auberlen dedicated himself to the production-based World Challenge GT class for BMW Motorsport's Prototype Technology Group team, earning the series championship for BMW. In 2005, Auberlen continued to drive for BMW PTG in Grand-Am's GT series, while also driving for Panoz Racing in IMSA's American Le Mans Series. In 2006, Auberlen is once again exclusively driving BMW's, an M3 for Sigalsport's Grand-Am GT team, an M3 for Turner's Grand-Am team and an M3 for BMW PTG's ALMS team.

Bill Auberlen has driven BMW cars in more races than any other driver in the world. He has won six professional auto-racing championships, four with BMW power. He has competed in over 500 professional races to date, 339 in BMWs. His results include 91 race victories, 188 podium finishes, 56 pole positions, 83 fastest race laps and 110 records. Auberlen currently drives a BMW Z4 GTE in the American Le Mans Series GT class for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and a BMW M3 for Turner Motorsport in the Grand-Am GS class.
(Photo; motrface.com)
In addition to his racing success, Auberlen has designed and built fast boats and bikes. Using motorsport technology, he developed X Power Drive, a high-performance boating outdrive, engineered a custom 1554-hp Chevrolet engine that powered his open-bow Carrera catamaran to numerous world speed and acceleration records. He also built a custom turbocharged 420 hp motorcycle.
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Bertil Roos Born In Gothenburg, Sweden - October 12, 1943

October 12, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 12, 1943
Bertil Roos
(Photo; abandowest.wordpress.com)
Born in Gothenburg, Sweden.
He participated in a single Formula One Grand Prix, his home race in 1974, from which he retired with transmission failure. Despite enjoying early promise in winning the US Formula Super Vee title in 1973, and also doing well in Formula 2 in Europe and Formula Atlantic in Canada, Roos only received one shot at Formula One. He and his team, Shadow, did not get on particularly well, and ultimately the team chose to work with Tom Pryce instead. Roos went back to the USA and Canada, where he continued racing. Still racing in the 1980s, Roos was a two-time Can-Am champion in the 2 liter and under category.

In 1975, he created an eponymous racing school in Pennsylvania, USA near Pocono Raceway. The school is accredited by the SCCA to be able to recommend graduates for race licenses at the regional and national levels.
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Morgan Shepherd Born In Ferguson, North Carolina - October 12, 1941

October 12, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 12, 1941
Morgan Shepherd
Born in Ferguson, North Carolina, USA.
He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 89 Chevrolet Camaro for Shepherd Racing Ventures. He is a born again Christian who serves as a lay minister to the racing community. He has been competing in NASCAR for over 44 years.

Shepherd became the second-oldest race winner after Harry Gant in 1993, when he won the spring race at Atlanta at the age of 51 years, 4 months, and 27 days.

Shepherd became the oldest driver to lead an Xfinity Series race at the age of 70 when he led 3 laps in the 2012 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway. He was also the oldest to start a Sprint Cup race at the 2014 Camping World RV Sales 301 at age 72.
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Favorite Books - The Jarretts

October 12, 2015, 12:30 am
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The Jarretts: By Richard Huff
Two-time NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett is the patriarch of a race-car driving dynasty. His son Dale earned his first NASCAR championship in 1999, and Ned's grandson, Jason, raced briefly in the Busch Series in the late 1990s. Fact-filled and brimming with dynamic full-color photographs and other fun features, "The Jarretts" is a fast-paced yet in-depth look at the accomplishments of the legendary NASCAR clan who make the sport a true family affair.
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Rick Miaskiewicz Out Battles Horst Kroll In St. Louis Can-Am - October 13, 1985

October 13, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 13, 1985
Rick Miaskiewicz of St Louis, out battled Horst Kroll of Toronto, for his 3rd win of the 1985 Can-Am season at St Louis International Raceway, and take a 9 point championship lead over Kroll, going into the final race of the season. 

Horst Kroll
For more; The Horst Kroll Story} Part Three -1985 Season 
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Tim Sauter Born In Necedah, Wisconsin, USA - October 13, 1964

October 13, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 13, 1964
Tim Sauter
(Photo; espn.go.com)
Born in Necedah, Wisconsin, USA.
He has competed in the American Speed Association, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the NASCAR Busch Series, and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He was the 1999 ASA National Tour Champion. He is the son of Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Jay and Johnny Sauter.
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Jason Jarrett Born In Conover, North Carolina, USA - October 14, 1975

October 14, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 14, 1975
Jason Jarrett
(Photo: alamy.com)
Born in Conover, North Carolina, USA.
Jarrett is a former competitor in the NASCAR Busch Series and ARCA Racing Series, and has not driven in competition since 2005. He is the son of 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett and the grandson of two-time champion Ned Jarrett.

Jason's racing career was launched in the World Karting Association, where in 1993 he claimed the WKA's Sprint Division Championship of the Carolina's Cup at North Carolina Speedway located in Rockingham, North Carolina.

1994 saw Jarrett return to Hickory Motor Speedway, a track that had provided early success for both his father and grandfather. While competing in the Limited Sportsman Division, he scored one victory and one pole, along with earning Rookie-of-the-Year honors. In 1995, Jarrett moved into the Winston Racing Series Late Model Stock Division, where he spent the next three seasons honing his skills at the famed oval.

The 1997 season proved extremely busy for Jarrett, as he competed in a total of 46 late model events between Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Speedway located in Hudson, North Carolina. Between 1997 and 2000, Jarrett competed in over 40 NASCAR Busch Series events.

In 2001, Jarrett began his ARCA RE/MAX Series career, with second place finish in the final ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings and Rookie-of-the-Year honors. 2002 he was 3rd, and 2003 2nd again as well as earning the Bill France Triple Crown Award.

After the 2005 season he retired from racing. Starting in 2007, Jarrett worked for his father's company, Dale Jarrett Incorporated, as a project manager. In 2010, he joined Germain Racing as a spotter for drivers Casey Mears and Max Papis in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. Three years later, he left the organization to join Stewart-Haas Racing as the spotter for driver Ryan Newman in the Sprint Cup Series.

Career highlights include; The 1993 World Karting Association Sprint Division Championship, the 1994 Hickory Motor Speedway Limited Sportsman Division Rookie of the Year, the 2001 ARCA RE/MAX Rookie of the Year, 2nd in the ARCA RE/MAX Championship in 2001 & 2003, 3rd in the ARCA RE/MAX Championship in 2002 and the winner of the 2003 Bill France Triple Crown Award.
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Indy Star Johnny Aitken Dies - October 15, 1918

October 15, 2015, 12:00 am
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May 3, 1885 – October 15, 1918
Johnny Aitken
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Aitken competed in the Indianapolis 500 three times. He led the first lap of the first race in 1911. He also captured the pole position in 1916, but ended up in 15th place that year. In the 1915 Indianapolis 500, Aitken drove relief for two drivers, Gil Anderson and Earl Cooper (who ultimately finished 3rd and 4th). While Aitken never won the Indianapolis 500 as a driver, he did serve as team manager for two winning efforts, Joe Dawson’s victory in 1912, and Jules Goux’s win in 1913.

Aitken’s activity at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was not limited to the Indianapolis 500. He won a total of 15 races at IMS, the most of any driver in the 100-year history of the track. Aitken was the only driver to win races in each of the four automobile race weekends that were held during the track’s “pre-500” years of 1909-1910. He also won all three races which comprised the Harvest Auto Racing Classic, in September 1916. Aitken started a total of 41 races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is, the most of any driver in the track’s history. The driver with the second-greatest number of starts at IMS is A. J. Foyt, who started a total of 36 races from 1958 to 1994.

Outside of his participation at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Aitken is known to have started at least 33 AAA-sanctioned races, from 1907 to 1916, and to have driven relief in at least three others. He won seven of these races, including the 1916 1st International Sweepstakes 300 mile race at the Cincinnati Motor Speedway, the 1916 Astor Cup 250 mile race at Sheepshead Bay Speedway, and the 1916 Harkness Trophy 100 mile race at Sheepshead Bay.

Aitken is credited as co-winner of the American Grand Prize race, which was held at the Santa Monica Road Race Course on Nov 18, 1916. He started the race, but was the first driver to drop out, when his car suffered a broken piston after one lap. On Lap 21, he took over the car which had started the race being driven by Howdy Wilcox. Aitken drove that car for the remainder of the race, completing 28 of the total 48 laps, finishing first. Aitken, therefore, was credited with both first and last place.

Aitken died on October 15, 1918 of bronchopneumonia from the Influenza pandemic of 1918.
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Al Pease Born In Darlington, England - October 15, 1921

October 15, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 15, 1921 - May 4th 2014
Al Pease
(Photo; en.espn.co.uk)
Born in Darlington, England.
He participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 27, 1967. He holds the unfortunate distinction of being the only competitor ever to be disqualified from a World Championship race, the 1969 Canadian Grand Prix, for being too slow. Pease was black-flagged after a series of on-track incidents, the last involving Matra driver Jackie Stewart. In response, Matra owner Ken Tyrrell protested to the officials and had Pease disqualified. At the time, Pease completed 22 laps in an uncompetitive car while the leaders finished 46. Pease's F1 history happened during the Canadian Grand Prix, where his career consisted of a NC (1967, finishing 43 laps behind the leaders), DNS (engine trouble in 1968), and DSQ (1969).

Despite the brief duration of his Formula One career, Pease was highly successful in domestic Canadian motor sport competitions, winning a steady stream of regional and national championships in a variety of cars for almost 30 years and was inducted as a member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1998.

He was also instrumental in getting the CASC to allow sponsors’ names on the side of racing cars, paving the way for a whole new generation of professional Canadian racing drivers.

Al Pease died on May 4th 2014, at his home in Tennessee.
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Danny Sullivan Wins At Laguna, Clinches CART Title - October 16, 1988

October 16, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 16, 1988
Danny Sullivan
(Photo; radaris.com)
At the second-to-last race of the season, the CART "Champion Spark Plug 300K" at Laguna Seca Raceway, Sullivan won the pole, led the most laps, and won the race, finishing 2.784 seconds ahead of  Michael Andretti. With still one race left, Sullivan clinched the 1988 CART title, holding an insurmountable 35-point lead. It was Sullivan's first championship title and Penske's first since 1985.
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Gilles Villeneuve Marries Joanne Barthe - October 17, 1970

October 17, 2015, 12:00 am
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October 17, 1970
(photo credit: alessio mazzocco via photopin cc)
Since 1967 he started going steady with Joann Barthe, whom he married on this day in 1970. Gilles and Joann had two children, Jacques (the future world champion in Formula 1 in 1997) and Mélanie. During his early career Villeneuve took his young family on the road with him in a transformed old yellow bus, the front half living quarters, and rear half a workshop during the racing season, a habit which he continued to some extent during his Formula One career.

Villeneuve A Racing Legend [Kindle Edition]
Allan de la Plante (Author, Photographer)
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Louis Unser Dies In Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA - Oct. 18, 1979

October 18, 2015, 12:00 am
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Mar. 16, 1896 - Oct. 18, 1979
Louis Unser
Born in Madison County, Illinois, USA.
Louis won the Pikes Peak Hillclimb 9 times between 1934 and 1953. He died on Oct. 18, 1979, He is buried in Manitou Springs, Colorado, at the foot of Pike's Peak. His epitaph reads "Old Man of the Mountain.

Louis was the uncle of Jerry Unser, Louis J. Unser, Al Unser and Bobby Unser. He was a great uncle to drivers Al Unser Jr., Johnny Unser, Robby Unser and Bobby Unser, Jr.
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John Cannon Dies From Plane Crash Injuries - October 18, 1999

October 18, 2015, 12:00 am
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June 21, 1933 - October 18, 1999
 John Cannon 
Born in London, England.
A sports car racer who competed under the banner of Canada, he raced in the USRRC series, the Can Am Series and the L&M Continental Series (Formula 5000).

In the USRRC he drove for Nickey Chevrolet in a Dan Blocker, of Bonanza fame, sponsored Genie/Vinegaroon

(photo credit: jimculp@live.com / ProRallyPix via photopin cc)
1965 Huffaker Genie Mk. 10
Tom Stephani drove this historic racer at the 2009 Pacific Northwest Historics. This is Dan Blocker's Nikcy-Vinegaroon. John Cannon drove this car to a win in the 1966 Las Vegas USRRC race.

In the first year of the Can Am he was the top finishing Canadian propelled by a fourth place finish in the opening event at his home course, St Jovite. John duplicated that accomplishment in 1968 propelled by a famous win over the dominant McLaren team in a very wet race at Laguna Seca. In a three-year-old car, John lapped the entire field including the mighty Team McLaren of Denny Hume and Bruce McLaren. He also attained top Canadian status in 1973.

Cannon also ran in the Continental Series (Formula 5000). In 1969 he drove a F5000 Eagle for Malcolm Starr and won races at Riverside, Sears Point and Mosport. In 1970 Starr Racing was merged into Hogan-Starr Racing Ltd, with team owners St Louis trucking magnate Carl Hogan and Malcolm Starr. Driving a McLaren M-10B (with an Al Bartz Chevrolet 302 engine), prepared by Tom Jobe and Bob Skinner (of drag racing "The Surfers" fame) Cannon won races at Riverside, Kent, Washington and Elkhart Lake, easily winning the L&M Continental Championship.

Cannon participated in one World Championship Formula One Grand Prix, on October 3, 1971 in the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. He finished 14th, thus he scored no championship points. He also participated in one non-Championship Formula One race, the Questor Grand Prix, finishing up in 12th.

Cannon also made 15 starts in the USAC Championship Car series while driving on a part-time basis from 1968 to 1974. His best finish was 2nd place in the second race at Circuit Mont-Tremblant in 1968. He also finished a career best 27th in series points that year. He also attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1970 and 1974 but failed to make the race both years.

He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1993. His son Michael has built a career as a race engineer. During the 2006 season at Forsythe Racing in the Champ Car World Series he was race engineer for A. J. Allmendinger.

Ever active, John died in New Mexico, USA, from injuries received in the crash of an experimental aircraft.

 
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